Diseases and Conditions
Trichinosis
Overview
Symptoms
Causes
Risk factors
Complications
Prevention
Diagnosis
Treatment
Preparing for an appointment
Prevention
The best defense against trichinosis is proper food preparation. Follow these tips to avoid trichinosis:
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Avoid undercooked meat. Be sure to thoroughly cook cuts of meat until brown. Cook pork and meat from wild animals to an internal temperature of 160 F (71 C) throughout. For whole cuts and ground varieties of poultry, cook to a temperature of at least 165 F (74 C). Don't cut or eat the meat for at least three minutes after you've removed it from the heat.
Use a meat thermometer to ensure that the meat is thoroughly cooked.
- Freeze pork. Freezing pork that is less than six inches thick for three weeks will kill parasites. However, trichinella parasites in wild-animal meat are not killed by freezing, even over a long period.
- Know that other processing methods don't kill parasites. Other methods of meat processing or preserving, such as smoking, curing and pickling, don't kill trichinella parasites in infected meat.
- Clean meat grinders thoroughly. If you grind your own meat, make sure the grinder is cleaned after each use.